Yu-Gi-Oh: Tokyo Stories
by thisissparta789789
Summary: Ichigo, a 7th-Grader in school, always had faced her troubles head-on as a Mew Mew. But she never expected to face her enemies through games of skill and luck-until she faced one particular enemy. Now, Ichigo, accompanied by a mysterious power within her, recklessly challenges bullies and evildoers to Shadow Games, where the loser faces laser-guided karma through Penalty Games!
1. A Furious Battle

"Hey, Ichigo-chan," a male voice said. "It's your turn." The voice belonged to Joe Hendrickson, the son of an American living in Japan.

Though he had been in Ichigo and Masaya's grade, he had been transferred to their class just recently, though he had known Masaya for several years prior, as he was an avid soccer player, and they both liked sports. Joe also had a liking of Duel Monsters, and had taught Ichigo and Masaya how to play.

Ichigo looked at her hand and played Blackland Fire Dragon. She said, "Alright, it's your turn." "

Alright. I'll sacrifice my set monster for the Curse of Dragon, which will destroy your dragon and reduce your life points to 0."

"What?! That's the 3rd time this week. I need to get better at this game."

Then, Masaya walked up and said, "So, you lost again, I presume?"

Ichigo sighed and said, "Yep. I did. Oh well..."

"Eh, I've lost a lot too, Momomiya-san. Besides, you're new to the game like me."

"Why do you keep calling me 'Momomiya-san?' We're boyfriend-girlfriend. It's fine to call me on a first name basis."

Then, another classmate walked over and said, "Wait, you 3 play Duel Monsters?"

"Wait," Joe said. "You're Jurou, from my soccer team, right?"

"Yes, the one and only."

"You play too? Great, we got a new player!"

"Woah, woah woah," Jurou said. "I'm not new to this game. I am the prefectural champion, and I came in 7th place out of 64 contestants in the National Tournament. As you can see, we're on very different levels."

Joe looked at Jurou in contempt as he said, "So, do you 3 have any good cards?" He then gasped when he looked at a particular card in Joe's hand. "It can't be! That's... that's Gaia the Fierce Knight! Only 12 of those were ever made! How did you get that?"

"This? My brother Ed gave it to me," Joe replied.

Jurou then grabbed his backpack and pulled out a small case of at least 80 cards and said, "If you give me that Gaia, I'll give you these 82 cards." Ichigo and Masaya looked in amazement at such an offer.

"Hehehehehe... No way," Joe replied, to the complete and utter shock of Ichigo and Masaya.

Jurou asked in frustration, "Why won't you trade it to me? I gave you a great offer. There were 3 cards in here that were rarer than Gaia!"

"Simple. This card means a lot to me. Gaia was the first thing Ed pulled from a card pack. After building a powerful deck with Gaia in it, and winning many times, he gave the deck, and Gaia to me 2 years back as he built a newer Machine-based deck. This card means a lot to me, and I could never part with it."

Jurou said, "Fine. I get it. I'll be going to the bathroom now. And by the way, interesting story, and good luck." He then added in his thoughts, _"You're gonna need it."_

* * *

The next day was a weekend, so there was no school. After working at the Cafe, Ichigo was packing up when she had a conversation with Mint. "Hey, ever get the feeling there's some calm before the storm? Like how before a major battle, there's almost no activity?"

"Yeah," Mint replied. "Why?"

"That 'new enemy' Shirogane-san talked about has barely showed itself apart from some Chimera Animas that are possibly just leftover from the fight with the aliens, and that joke of an enemy called 'The Saint Rose Crusaders.' Shirogane-san calls the Chimera Animas left over 'Unexploded Ordinance,' like how landmines left over from wars kill and injure others long after the conflict. Maybe this is that calm. What if Deep Blue returns? What if the Aliens turn on us? What if..."

"Hey girls," Berry then said. "How's it going? I just got back from another successful delivery."

"Me and Mint we're talking about the possibility of something big possibly occurring soon," Ichigo replied. "You remember when your boyfriend Tasuku was brainwashed by those Saint Rose Crusaders?"

"Yeah. They apologised, remember?"

"Yeah, but what if that was just part of a calm before the storm. And by storm, I mean a much more dangerous and deadly enemy."

"Hmm... Seems likely, but at the same time, unlikely. We'll have to wait and see."

Ichigo then felt something start heat up on her shirt. She felt the area where it burnt and held her pendant. She said, "I don't know why, but my pendant's burning up like crazy. I'll go check in with Shirogane-san and see what could be wrong."

* * *

"Yep," Ryou began. "Your pendant's acting weird alright."

Ichigo asked, "What should I do?"

"Keep it," Ryou replied. "But don't do anything that involves stunts that could break this. Also, report to me if anything else happens."

"Well that's unsafe," Ichigo began, but she was interrupted by Zakuro walking in and asking what was going on.

"Oh, hello, Zakuro-san," Ichigo said. "My pendant is acting weird. Just a few minutes ago, it began heating up and now it's cool again."

"Hmm," Zakuro said. "I've never heard anything like that ever happening. I say you should take Shirogane-san's advice, whatever it was. After all, he built it."

* * *

Ichigo, after eating dinner, spent some time trying to figure out just how her pendant worked. She finally was able to pry open the pendant's door and look inside. She found a bunch of wires, circuits, and numerous other things, all very tiny. She then noticed that 1 circuit in particular was glowing red. She thought nothing of it, since many other things in the pendant glowed other colours, and closed up the pendant before going to bed.

She thought to herself, _"Well, today's been an interesting day. I wonder what tomorrow will bring."_

* * *

The next day was a school day. She tiredly walked to school alongside Masaya. As they arrived at the school, they found Joe and Jurou talking to each other, presumably about Duel Monsters.

Jurou said, "I was wondering if I could join you guys in some dueling later on. Joe's okay with the idea."

"Sure," said Ichigo. "I'd be happy if you joined us."

Jurou had been looking through Joe's deck while they were talking. He then thought, _"Aha! Gaia's in this deck. All I have to do is switch it out with a colour copy card I made and Joe won't even notice."_

After sneakily doing so, he handed the deck back to Joe and said, "What a powerful deck you got there."

Joe said, "Thanks." He then walked to his next class.

* * *

After school, Jurou was walking home when he was suddenly stopped by Joe, who said, "Hey, you bastard!"

Jurou turned around and was confronted by Joe, Masaya, and Joe's brother, Edward, or simply Ed. "You took my Gaia the Fierce Knight. I didn't say anything earlier because I didn't want to get suspended. But since school's over now, give me the card, or I'll kick your ass."

"What?" Jurou said. "I would never do such a thing!" He and Joe knew otherwise, of course.

"Cut the bullshit," Ed said. "Joe wouldn't lie about his cards like that."

"You know," Jurou replied. "Have you ever considered what I want, for a change?"

Masaya replied, "The lies coming out of your mouth are incomprehensible. Give Joe's card back now."

"Fine, I took it. But I wouldn't recommend going up in a fight against me, even a 3 vs. 1 fight."

* * *

Ichigo had ran back to the school after receiving an unnerving text from Jurou, reading, "Come over to the school now. I have your boyfriend and his 2 friends with me."

She arrived to find Joe, Masaya, and Ed pummeled and bleeding on the ground. Jurou said, "I'm sorry you had to see this, Ichigo."

Ichigo screamed, "What the hell is wrong with you?! Why did you beat them up?!"

"They refused my demands, so I kicked their asses."

Ichigo growled in anger and said, "Don't you ever hurt my friends!"

"What can you do about it? You're just in my way, nothing but a tiny obstacle."

She then stood in front of her friends and said, "If you want to get to them, you'll have to get through me!"

Jurou replied by kneeing Ichigo in the stomach. She yelled in pain and collapsed. Jurou then said, "But, I guess it's only fair that I give you a chance. Tomorrow, at 6:30 P.M., meet me at the school again, alone, and I'll show you how a true duel works. If you win, Joe keeps his card. But if I win, I'll teach you all the true meaning of pain."

* * *

Ichigo managed to covertly hide the injury she received from her parents. After dinner, she finished her homework and began brushing her teeth when she heard a voice behind her in her bathroom saying, "Hello, koneko-chan."

Ichigo turned around and saw a face she hadn't seen in several months. Kisshu. Kisshu said, "How's it going?"

"Kisshu!" Ichigo exclaimed before she covered her mouth. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought you, Pai, and Taruto left to go back to your planet!"

"Yes, we did. But, I returned. You see, my work schedule is a pain in the ass, so I wasn't able to get any vacation hours until now, so, to make a long story short, I'm taking part of my vacation here, on good old Earth."

"Wait, you know where I live?! Well, then again, in hindsight, I'm not surprised, _**but you know where I** **LIVE?!"**  
_

"No duh. If I didn't, how else could I get here? Anyway, how's Masaya-baka?"

Ichigo looked at him in annoyance and said, "That's really getting old. Anyway, we're doing just fine. However, recently, he and 2 of his friends got threatened by some creep named Yamamoto Jurou."

Kisshu looked in slight interest. "Do I need to have a little 'chat' with him, if you know what I mean?"

"NO! I'm taking care of this **myself****.** Me, myself, and I. Not you. Me."

"Well then, you've certainly grown up since I last saw you."

"Grown up? It's been 2 months since Deep Blue's defeat."

* * *

After a long conversation with Kisshu, Ichigo began inspecting her pendant again. To her surprise, the circuits that were glowing red the day before were now glowing bright blue. She wondered what that meant.

* * *

At school, Joe, who had a bandage on his cheek from the fight yesterday, told Ichigo, "You need to be good, because Jurou is a BEAST at this game. How else do you think he became the best in the prefecture? You'll need a LOT of luck to win against him."

"Thing is," Ichigo replied. "I don't know if I can. I hope I do, but the odds I will are probably 1 in a million."

"Don't get so down on yourself. You can win this."

* * *

Ichigo was at her house, once again looking at the inside of her pendant. Now, the circuits glowed bright white. "What the hell is this thing doing?" Ichigo said.

She then put the pendant down and looked at her cards. She sighed and then said, "I have no chance of winning. Why did I ever agree to this?" Then, she picked up her pendant again. Now, the front glowed white as well.

Then, a beam of light shot out of the pendant and hit Ichigo in the forehead. She immediately fell backwards onto the floor. Her body glowed for several seconds afterwards.

When she got up, she looked... different. Her eyes, instead of the usual red, were bright pink, much like they were in her Mew form. She also had grown by 1-2 inches, and had a slightly deeper voice. She said to herself, "Hehehehehe... I know one thing for sure, and that thing is that that creep Jurou's gonna have a tougher time than he thought."

* * *

Jurou said to himself, "Where the hell is she? It's 7 minutes past 6."

Then, he turned around and gasped when he saw Ichigo, or at least what he thought was her, standing on a table outside. She said, "Hello, Jurou-kun. Ready to duel?"

"Well," Jurou replied. "I don't have time for incorrect honorifics, and I don't know what's up with your eyes, but I am ready." He then handed her something. "Put this on. It's my old Duel Disk. If you somehow manage to win, you can keep it. But if **I **win, I will take your friend's card and teach you all the true meaning of pain."

"Ichigo" fumbled around with the duel disk until she got it to turn on. She then placed her deck in. Then, the 2 of them said, "Let's duel!"

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 4000**_

Jurou went first. He summoned the Baron of the Fiend Sword, with 1550 attack. He then activated Allure of Darkness to draw 2 cards and banish 1 DARK monster. The card he banished was "Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness." He said, "I end my turn. Ichigo, if I were you, I'd choose your cards wisely."

"Ichigo" began her turn by summoning Gellenduo, with 1700 attack. She then said, "Attack his Baron, Gellenduo!" The Baron was swiftly destroyed, and Jurou took 150 damage.

_**ICHIGO: 4000**_

_**JUROU: 3850**_

"Ichigo" then set 1 card and ended her turn.

Jurou drew a card to begin his turn and then looked at his hand. He had no monsters that were summonable that had over 1700 attack. He quietly set 1 monster and 2 other cards and then ended his turn.

When it came to "Ichigo's" turn, she summoned Bio-Mage, with 1150 attack. She then activated Axe of Despair and equipped it to Gellenduo, increasing its attack to 2700. Then, Bio-Mage attacked Jurou's set card. It was another Archfiend Marmot of Nefariousness, which was quickly destroyed. Then, "Ichigo" shouted, "Attack him directly, Gellenduo!"

But, Jurou had a trick up his sleeve. He said, "Trap Card Activate! Magic Cylinder! This negates your attack and deals you 2700 damage! Take that!"

_**ICHIGO: 1300**_

_**JUROU: 3850**_

"Ichigo" looked in horror at what had happened. 1 more big hit like that to her life points, and she would be finished. She then took another look at her hand and smiled.

"I activate Swords of Revealing Light," Ichigo exclaimed. "Now you can't attack for 3 turns!" Jurou simply shrugged it off as Ichigo then said, "I end my turn."

Jurou then began his turn. He activated Monster Reborn to bring back his Archfiend Marmot. He then sacrificed it to summon the Summoned Skull, with 2500 attack. He then said, "I end my turn. Unless you get rid of that Bio-Mage, I can wipe the floor with you, Ichigo."

"Ichigo" then drew her next card. She then sacrificed her Gellenduo and summoned White Knight Queen. Usually, she would have required 2 monsters to tribute, but Gellenduo's effect stated that it would be treated as 2 tributes to summon a LIGHT Fairy-type monster.

Then, she said, "This is the beginning of your demise." The background surrounding them suddenly became pitch black, with only the field being illuminated. Jurou looked in shock at what was happening. "This duel is now a Shadow Game, Jurou, and whoever loses will face their ultimate doom."

"Well then," Jurou replied. "This is the high-stakes game I've always wanted. Whatever the hell a "Shadow Game" is, I bet it's exciting."

Then, "Ichigo" activated Black Pendant and equipped it to White Knight Queen. Then, she said, "White Knight Queen, attack his Summoned Skull!" The Summoned Skull was then destroyed. "Now, Bio-Mage, attack Jurou directly!"

_**ICHIGO: 1300**_

_**JUROU: 2600**_

"I knew you'd do that," Jurou said. "Trap Card Activate! Call of the Haunted! I bring back the Summoned Skull!"

"Heh," Ichigo replied. "Fine by me. Turn End!"

Jurou then began his turn. He activated Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy the Swords of Revealing Light. Then, he activated his Black Pendant and equipped it to Summoned Skull, increasing its attack to 3000. He then had it attack White Knight Queen.

_**ICHIGO: 0800**_

_**JUROU: 2600**_

Jurou ended his turn and said, "Ichigo, prepare to lose, hard."

"Oh," "Ichigo" replied. "I wouldn't be too sure about saying that." She then summoned Agido, with 1600 attack, and activated Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards. She then looked at the cards she had drawn and said, "This is your end, Jurou! Magic Card Activate! Raigeki!"

"What," Jurou screamed. "Impossible!" Then, his Summoned Skull was blown to bits by Raigeki, which destroyed all monsters Jurou controlled.

"Now," "Ichigo" said. "Agido, Bio-Mage, _**attack!"**_The 2 monsters then attacked, dealing 2750 damage to Jurou and ending the game.

_**ICHIGO: 0800 (WINS)**_

_**JUROU: 0000 (LOSES)**_

Jurou said, "It can't be! I shouldn't have lost!"

"Ichigo" then said, "Since you lost, the door to your doom has now been opened."

"Y-your forehead," Jurou said as he pointed at her. "That mark... That mark on your forehead!"

"Ichigo" then pointed at him and shouted, "Penalty Game! Consumption by Darkness!"

Jurou suddenly found himself slowly being consumed by the darkness surrounding him. He saw his legs disappear first, followed by his torso, and finally, his neck. He screamed, "God, help me!"

In reality, it was all in his head. "Ichigo" had put him through such a horrifying illusion to teach him a lesson about messing with her friends and threatening her. She said, "Jurou, while you're consumed by an imaginary darkness, take this time to reflect on your actions. Hopefully, you'll repent. If you don't, I won't be as easy-going as I was this time. Game Over!"

* * *

The next morning, Ichigo woke up in her bed. She said, "Wait, what happened last night? Did I even duel Jurou?"

When she got to school, she was pulled aside by Masaya, who told her, "Hey, Momomiya-san, did you hear? Someone found Jurou curled up in a ball and crying on the ground outside of the school. He kept on rambling about being defeated and getting "consumed by darkness." Well then, I guess he got what he deserved."

"Wow," Ichigo replied. "That's gotta be traumatic."

Then, Joe came along and said, "So, Masaya-kun, did you tell Ichigo-chan about what happened?" Masaya nodded. "Sucks to be Jurou, eh?"

"Yeah," Masaya replied. "Anyway, we gotta get to class! We're almost late!" The 3 of them then began running to their class, as they were almost late. Luckily, they arrived just as the bell rang. "Talk about "Saved by the Bell.""

* * *

_**END OF CHAPTER 1**_


	2. Rules Are Tough

Ichigo wondered what happened to Jurou for several days. She wondered what had become of the challenge Jurou had offered her in regards to dueling him. "Aoyama-kun," Ichigo asked. "Is Jurou gonna be okay?"

"Of course," Masaya replied. "He'll be back on his feet in no time."

Then, the 2 entered their literature classroom. Their literature teacher was a woman by the name of Mihoko Yamana. She was an attractive young woman in her late 20s that had been teaching for the last 6 years. She had a reputation for being strict, and was not above recommending students for expulsion.

* * *

After school, Ms. Yamana went to the teacher's lounge and worked on some papers and grades. She thought, _"Well, I did it. I broke up with him. Dammit, how many people are just gonna fall for my looks? It's so dumb! I hate people of both sexes who do that! Heh, that was the 3rd boyfriend this year, and it's been 9 months into the year of 2003. I guess I can say I enjoy the thrill, but that would make me too cruel. Anyway, what else was I planning? Oh yeah! That new rule I proposed!"_

* * *

"That's ridiculous," said Joe. "She wouldn't dare."

"Yes, she did," Masaya replied. "She actually did."

"Hey guys," Ichigo asked. "What's going on?"

Joe replied, "Yamana-sensei proposed a rule for the district and the school that bans students from holding jobs or they could face expulsion. This affects you greatly."

"WHAT?! No way," Ichigo exclaimed. "I have a job after school. I don't wanna get expelled for holding one!"

"I have an idea," Miwa, a friend of Ichigo's said. "You guys could get a petition going to stop the rule."

* * *

For the next several hours, Joe, Masaya, Ichigo, Miwa, and Moe handed out petition forms to fight the proposed rule change. They managed to collect 95 signatures from both students and staff over the course of the day. They also handed out pamphlets supporting their cause. Another teacher helped print them out and stored them in his room.

After school, Ms. Yamana went to that room and said, "Oh, well this can't do." She then took the pamphlets and the signed petitions and brought them home with her. She then wrote up a false complaint form against Joe and Masaya, accusing them of instigating violence, and then burned the pamphlets and the petitions in her furnace. "Trying to stop that rule change, huh? Think again."

* * *

Joe and Masaya were called to the principal's office as Ichigo, Miwa, and Moe looked frantically for the petitions and pamphlets to no avail. "Well," Joe said. "I got good news and bad news. The good news is that me and Masaya-kun are currently off the hook due to lack of evidence. The bad news is that the principal says he doesn't know where the pamphlets are either."

After school, Ichigo was walking by Ms. Yamana's room when she heard her talking to herself. "Oh ho ho ho ho, this will be fun. With those protestors out of the way, I can enforce that rule."

_"No way," _Ichigo thought. _"I can't believe it. **She **did this. I won't forgive you, Yamana-sensei! You violated our right to peaceful assembly and free speech! We weren't even advocating for violence, yet you silenced your opposition anyways!"_

Ichigo clenched her pendant and fell to her knees in intense pain. "Ichigo" then stood up and walked in, saying, "Yamana-sensei, I see you're the one who took the pamphlets."

"How," Ms. Yamana replied. "**How did you know?!"**

"I overheard you talking to yourself. It was kinda hard not to hear you. Anyway, you have trespassed onto my soul and those of my friends. For that, you're gonna play a game with me. Get out some mirrors."

Ms. Yamana then brought out 2 pocket mirrors she had kept in her bag. "Ichigo" picked them up, pried the mirrors out, and smashed them in front of her and Yamana-sensei.

"What the hell was that for?!"

"The rules are simple. We are to blindfold ourselves and attempt to put the mirror back together in 5 minutes. Whoever loses or is caught cheating will face a Penalty Game."

"Seems simple enough. I accept your challenge."

The 2 of them then blindfolded themselves. "Game Start!"

"Ichigo" started feeling the pieces, feeling for the shapes and sizes of each piece. She then began to assemble them. For the next 3 minutes, the game continued normally.

Then, Ms. Yamana thought, _"She can't even see. I can just take my blindfold off quietly and she won't even notice." _She then took her blindfold off and began assembling the pieces once more.

After another minute, Ms. Yamana said, "Done!"

"No," "Ichigo" replied. "You have to face a Penalty Game, Yamana-sensei."

Then, it dawned on Ms. Yamana that the blindfolds that "Ichigo" had had a small pebble that was barely noticeable on the back. If dropped, it would make a quiet, but noticeable sound. Ms. Yamana had not noticed it, but "Ichigo" had.

"Ichigo" then pointed at Ms. Yamana, still blindfolded, and said, "Penalty Game! Face Puzzle!"

Ms. Yamana's face make-up then began slowly cracking before it completely shattered. She screamed and ran out of the room. "Ichigo" then took the blindfold off and said, "Your self-pride caused you to cheat, and that is why you lost. Now, whenever you try to enforce an unreasonably strict rule, your make-up that you oh so much desire for your face will crack. Game Over!"

* * *

The district board ended up voting against the new rule change, much to the dismay of Ms. Yamana and the happiness of Ichigo. "Finally," she said. "My education isn't in jeopardy because I work."

"Hey," Masaya replied. "Did you hear about Yamana-sensei? She tried busting some students for something and her make-up cracked. No one knows why."

"Huh," Ichigo replied. "I wonder what caused that."


	3. The Poisonous Touch

Ichigo had blacked out twice over the past several days, and she could not figure out why. The first was with Jurou and the second was with that teacher. She wondered if it had something to do with her pendant, which had glowed mysteriously shortly before the Jurou incident.

After school, Joe, Masaya, and Ichigo walked around the city. Joe was trying to find a place someone at school had recommended for buying cards. Joe said, "We should almost be there."

"Umm," Ichigo replied. "Are you sure this place is safe?"

"Totally," Joe replied. "The owner is experienced with weird stuff in this area and can easily defend his shop from what I've heard." Then, they found the place Joe was looking for. "Here it is! Cosmonauts Game and Hobby Store! The owner's an ex-Russian astronaut."

The 3 of them walked in. The shop owner said, in a thick Russian accent, "Come in, come in. Welcome to Cosmonauts Game and Hobby Store. How may I help you?"

The 3 of them looked around and were certainly interested by what they saw. The store sold not just Duel Monsters cards, but also games like Dungeon Dice Monsters, Warhammer 40K, Dungeons and Dragons, Capsule Monsters, among other things.

Ichigo bought a pack of 20 cards and paid 1500 Yen. The shop owner said, "Did you know that Kaiba Seto is hosting a 2nd Battle City Tournament in Tokyo soon? You can sign up for a qualifier here for free. Just show up on Saturday at 3:45. To get in Battle City 2 itself, you have to defeat a judge. And trust me, those judges are _really _tough to beat."

Ichigo signed her name on the sheet. As she did, another patron walked in. He wore sunglasses and had a goatee. He was wearing what seemed to be an expensive pair of shoes. The shop owner said, "It's you..."

"I'm not looking for trouble, Nikolai," the man said. "I'm just here to say that I hope you're ready for some stiff competition. I just opened a new Junky Scorpion in Tokyo. It's my 5th shop."

Ichigo said, "What's the Junky Scorpion?"

"That's another shop," Joe replied. "That man is its owner. He used to have a pet scorpion, but it died after it poisoned him. Now, he's one of the most successful hobby shop owners in Domino City and Tokyo."

"You're damn right, kid," the man replied. "Y'know, the shoes I'm wearing are very valuable. In 1994, a guy was murdered over these shoes in Atlanta, Georgia in the US. I bought them in 1996 for about 100,000 Yen."

"Wow," Ichigo replied. "I can't believe someone would end somebody's life over shoes."

"I agree. That man should spend the rest of his life in jail or get fried. But anyway, Nikolai, I hope you can remain in business long, because I will run you into the ground." He then turned and left the shop.

"I freaking hate that guy," Nikolai said. "He's so damn annoying and egotistical."

"I can see why," Ichigo replied.

* * *

Later, at Cosmonauts, Nikolai was cleaning at table at closing time when he heard a knock at the door. "We're closed, sorry," he replied. Then, the door was broken by a crowbar.

A masked man put his hand through the glass and unlocked the door before opening it. He then said, "Give me all your money or I will beat you to death!" Another 2 then appeared with him.

Nikolai grudgingly complied and forked over 15465 Yen from the cash register and a safe in his office. The robber then left.

* * *

The next day, police question Nikolai about what happened. Afterwards, he was visited again by Ichigo, Joe and Masaya. He said, "Guys, I'm ruined! If I don't get that money back, I won't be able to operate the store! It will close!"

Afterwards, the 3 of them were walking back to their homes. Then, 3 young men came from behind and shouted, "Booyah!"

Masaya was then beaten with screwdrivers and hammers as Joe stumbled back up from the surprise attack. He then grabbed a dropped hammer on the ground and attacked the gang.

After 6 minutes, the gang was all but defeated. Joe said, "Now, tell me why you did this, or I will bust your skulls open, you good-for-nothing pieces of shit." Ichigo was taken aback by his harshness, while Masaya's expression repeated what Joe had said.

"Tha-... That shop owner," the gang leader said. "The guy that runs the Junky Scorpion. He paid us 10000 Yen each to break into Cosmonauts and beat you 3 up."

Joe then threw him down to the ground and said, "Masaya-kun, Ichigo-chan, let's go gonna kick his ass. Split up and find him."

* * *

Ichigo had looked for 16 minutes, but to no avail. She began to lose hope in ever finding the owner and retrieving Nikolai's money. She then thought to herself, _"Whatever your powers are, please help me find that Junky Scorpion owner, pendant. Please."_

Then, "Ichigo" found the new Junky Scorpion shop. She walked in and said, "Hey, you."

"Oh," the owner said. "It's that girl from Cosmonauts. How's it going?"

"I know your secret," "Ichigo" replied sternly. "I know you hired that gang to rob Cosmonauts and attack me and my friends. For that, we'll play a game."

"So, you knew," the owner said. "Well then, I remember a fellow like you who did this to me. He was short, had spiky hair, and ended up poisoning me. If you intent to do that to me..." The owner then reached for a knife in his back pocket. "You're sadly mistaken."

"Heh," "Ichigo" replied. "I won't poison you. I have a different game. All I need is a rope and that knife." The shop owner then grabbed a rope on the ground and gave it to "Ichigo," who then tied it to the knife on one end and tied the other end to a hook on the ceiling, creating a pendulum. She then moved a table over to below the knife. She then looked behind the counter and said, "Oh boy, what do we have here?"

She then found 15465 Yen in a box. It was probably the Yen taken from Cosmonauts. She then split it up by the number of bills, placing 48 bills on one end and 48 bills on the other. She split them up further until, on each side, there were 4 piles of 12 bills. She then said, "The rules of the game are simple. I will start up this knife pendulum on the beginning of each of our turns. The point of the game is to try and grab as much money as you can from one pile per turn without the life striking you."

"Seems simple enough," the shop owner said.

"Okay then. Game Start!"

"Ichigo" then pulled the knife back and then let it go. She then quickly darted her hand across the table and grabbed 9 bills from a pile just before the knife passed through. The shop owner went next. He grabbed all 12 bills from a pile on "Ichigo's" side and narrowly escaped getting cut by the knife.

For the next 4 turns, the 2 of them grabbed as much money as they could. Then, the shop owner asked, "Quick question before you start. As long as we don't touch the pendulum or move from our side, anything goes, right?"

"Ichigo" said, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"Well then, this goes too!" He then grabbed a spare knife and attempted to throw it at "Ichigo." It missed, but it did cut off a pigtail piece of her hair. She then said, "You shouldn't have done that." She then picked the knife back up and said, "Prepare to face your fate!"

She then threw it at the shop owner as he darted to grab a crowbar, the same one used in the robbery. It struck him in the shoulder, severely injuring him. "Ichigo" then grabbed all the money on the table and said, "Your greed ended up costing you your reputation, your money, and maybe even your life today, shopkeep. I hope you learn to never mess with my friends, my family, or me ever again. Game Over!"

* * *

Ichigo walked back home, not remembering a thing about what happened. As she got in her room, she got a call from Masaya.

"Hey Ichigo-chan," Masaya said. "You'll never guess what happened. Me and Joe were going over to the Junky Scorpion to confront the shop owner, but he was already taken care of by someone who threw a knife at him. He's alright now, but he was injured pretty badly in the shoulder."

"Ouch," Ichigo replied. "Well, I guess he had it coming, but that seems kind of harsh."

* * *

Before going to bed, Ichigo modified her deck with the new cards she got. She hoped that she would win at the qualifiers on Saturday, which was in 2 days.

She said to herself, "I wonder if Jurou will be there..."


End file.
